BANGOR – A maintenance worker in the city’s school department killed himself early Monday morning in a pickup truck parked outside his Court Street workplace.

Edwin Lowell, 39, was rushed to Eastern Maine Medical Center shortly after 6:30 a.m., when police officials found him on the sidewalk in front of the Bangor Police Department building, the second floor of which also houses the Bangor School Department maintenance division.

Lowell died shortly before noon after several hours of surgery for a gunshot wound to his chest, according to Bangor police.

Detectives are continuing their investigation into the case, but after consulting with the victim’s family Monday, police did say that Lowell’s suicide did not appear to be prompted by problems at his work or with the police.

“We have no reason to think he came here for a confrontation,” Sgt. Mark Hathaway said. “It was clearly a personal family issue.”

Lowell was reportedly going through a second divorce, a hearing on which was said to be scheduled for later in the day.

The suicide came as a blow to Superintendent of Schools Robert “Sandy” Ervin, who met with Lowell last week about a transfer within the department with no reduction in pay or benefits. The two parted with a handshake and Ervin’s assurance that Lowell’s employment was secure, Ervin said.

“Anybody that reaches that level of personal crisis should have somebody they can talk to, and I feel terribly that he apparently did not have that,” Ervin said. “I think the world was pressing in on him.”

Lowell had been employed with the school department since 1999.